Valve



Patented Dec.A 2, 1930v l i UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE CHARLES s. JOHNSON, F GHAMPMGN, ILLINOIS VALVE Application inea January 3, 192s. serial No. 244,362.

The invention relates generally to valves shown). The hopper herein villustrated is of and more particularly-to valves for use on the type wherein the bulk aggregate 12 is rebateh hoppers used Vfor the measurementof leased from the bin into the hopper l0 in aggregates and water for concrete mixtures. sufficient quantity to lill the hopper l() and i The primary object of the invention resides pile into'a conical mass within the hopper so 55 in the provision of a novel valve construction that flow from the loin is stopped. The bin whereby adisoharge opening at the bottom'of gate is `then closed and the aggregate is toa batch hopper may he effectively closed by tally submerged in water which is admitted a: valve member which g provides). a; watertight .from 'Lsuitablei fpointsf :about thef hopperi ..1 (It el() -seaL andliasria'manuallyvaotuatedxoperatirig rwilluhe'apparentithatfwherr water-sadiitted 60 -meansarranlgedxtoimaintain theyalveseated 'to-thehoppfer, :the ccone of. aggregate formed against;thefadownwardforceiexertedbythe whenillingthe-lopper,lwill lumpxdown belaggregate andewatereontainedinthehopper.- lowthefma'lewate'r; level. ffii. ;;Anther.y object i is: tojiprotide :a vvflap; valve -:i For the fpurps'e-@ffkadjusting Ethel hopper e115 structurewhereinfthenforee'tending tofopen l0 so that it will Contain thendesiredamount .Q65 asaidifvalyewserves tomaintain the :operating lotwhullr laefiregate7'a 'Section5 13de p'roviided means inivallveolosingipositionm.su lewhiehamavfhezadfjus-ted;vertically*relatively A further ohjectd'stowprloydefa batohihop- Vtoithe.main'hodyi zofthev hopperwhyanyipre- .per .valve having f ia valve-ioperatngmeans `Vier-redtimeahs@(not` shown) `llhe: hopper. i 10 w ,whichserxieslftoapply;ausubstantiallyZuni- .-il'lustratedqhereinisleiroularin ormrharing v7U form pr.ess`ure;to. `theyalve :member at all avertealeylindrieal wallv` lawhieh: has-La 'points about .thewalve ori'cema downwardly-corivergingportionl5 at the hot- @ther ob'eets and.advantageswwllibeoome vcom .-Lt'he'reof to lformi lcircular discharge apparent.from-.the following descriptionand openingl Iwfiolr :the emptying of aggregate 12;?5 frorirthe 'accompanyingdrawingsiinwhich: randfwaterfrm thehoppenr-AVerticallyiac 75 srFigure 1t shows aaentralvertioal';seton ajustable overflowispoultlis* proyidedrnea Ythrough ai-batoh hopperzemloodying; the'zpre- -theftopwoii'the hop-perwherehythetotal1volferredo'rm'ofltheinyentionnfi hief; im ume of aggregate and watef .Ihe. con mFigrZs'a fragmentaryelewatonal ew ftrolled'a f'i f.

50 ofysthehopperfasy'ewedffr Irirthe" leftain Foritheipurpose oithoroughlylsuhmergiug,80 Fig; l; ':f'f: i minis; :fom u, l the aggregate finthewhopperthe illus- Fig. 3:sisauseeti-onalnve. taken-,alonglthe migrated-provides orfadmittingmwater from line 3--p3of Eig\..l..; di mi mi, w" .f1 below and serres-to admitthe wateratj far plu- ;-.EFg.4 is af ragmentaryeoentralrsectional rality of pointsahoutthebottom-ofthe hop- .f..;,5 fviewshowingthevalyefmemberfrnan; open lpeniso ;as;to`idistribute it uniformlyfanclain- Lposit-ion...V @sure theielimination.oflairpoclretsinlthesubm; Whileithe invention.istsuseeptblexofmarimerged aggregate. A .w i .f ,olis'modiications.andralternatyefonstrue- .-lni.thefformeot the inrelntimrillustrated, tions; Ifhavepshown and-,wllfherein.destrhe lstmeans seembadied intheyalyestruotue LMO int:detailthepreferrediemhodimenaloutiitfis .@injsuieh a:manner;asto,distribute,watertrom` 9K to- ;be, ,understood that, I Ldo noti thereby :intend Y supply! pipe .20; having a Control yalye; 2l ato limitlthe :invention tomlaepeilioiormdsand admit-thearater toi the heppe'rrthrouglh lelosed but intend .temor/1er. iallnmodeations l apart aboutlthe; .pe hery ,ot fthe li1sc,a1';e -andalternatireconstructions,falling within fopenng 51.64. ai 1 M5 the spirit .andscope ot. the. mention {1s-eea 1 xfThe aalveistructure provides .ani eender U95 p eased. in the; appended lclaiifns.. wall-25.2?Y which is? attahedl, aS by weld] 11s,: t0 Reierrngimfire partlsularly.toathmdraw -ftheinwardly@emerging wal-1.15 10i the hop- Afinge,-.a.hatclthormw 1.0.isshownasupported pea-v. adjacent-the. edge ,which .deines themsbeneath an aggregate, bill-hav'ng-aiflseharge hargaopellialg 1.6 T-hewwalli 22, extends ..:..0= sp0uti llmhy .allyapnefearedameahs .11012 awarflly @Stange and ithenfnfa verges inwardly in spaced relation to the wall 15 to a point slightlyY below the discharge opening 16, thus 'forming an annular distributing passage 23 about the bottom of the hopper 10. The lower Iend of the wall 22 provides an annular seat surrounding a valve opening which is adapted to be closed by a gate or valve member 26 supported by an arm or lever 27. Since the wall 22, which forms the seat tor the valve member, extends below the inner wall 15 which denes the discharge opening 16, it will be seen that when the gate closed, acircular port 23 (Fig. 1) is provided through which water may pass from the annular distriliutin passa ge 23 into the hopper 10.

A radial extension 30 of the annular passage 23 is provided, into which the water supply pipe 20 is connected, thus furnishing a common valve controlled source of? water.

The valve member 25 comprises, in the present insta-nce, an outer steel plate 31 of greater diameter than the valve opening 25, having mounted thereon a plurality ot' disks 32 of rubber or other resilient material which are held in position by a second rigid plate 33 adapted to fit within the valve orifice 25 when the valve is closed, thus providing` for direct contact of the resilient members 32 and the valve seat.

It will be apparent that under the great weight of the aggregate and water contained in the hopper, a substantially perfectand uniform seating ot the valve member 26 must be obtained. To this end the supporting` arm 27 is attached to the valve member 2G centrally thereof by mea-ns ot a bracket 35 which is attached to the plate 31 and pivotally connected. to the arm 27 by a pivot 37.

rlhus the force applied to the gate 26 by the arm 27 will be distributed about the valve seat to form an eitective seal to prevent leakage of the water.

A second bracket or loop 38 on the plate 31 surrounds the arm 27 to retain the valve member 26 loosely in position thereon. The gate supporting' arm 27 is in this instance provided with a transverse portion 40 (Fig. 1) which is pivoted in the plane of the valve seat and near the edge thereof on a pin 41 secured in a bracket 42 mounted on the valve structure. l

Operating and locking means are provided for the gate supporting arm 27. In its exemplary form this means comprises a toggle arranged between a downwardly extending portion 44 of the arm 27 and an extension ot the bracket 42, and includes a bell crank lever 45 pivoted at 46 on the bracket 42 and having one arm 47 thereof connected to the end of the downwardly extending portion 44 ot the gate supporting arm 27 by means of an adjustable link 48. The other arm 51 of the bell crank 45 constitutes a hand lever, and by moving this arm 51, the toggle 43 is extended to move the arm 27 about its pivot point 41 to move the valve member 26 to closed position. By moving the toggle slightly past its extended position to what might be termed an over center position, the valve may be locked against the valve seat and maintained in locked position by a lug 52 on the arm 47 of the bell crank which contacts the bracket 42 to prevent further movement of the toggle. It will be apparent that when the toggle is in such an over center position, the weight upon the gate 26 will tend to hold the gate operating means in locked position.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides a valve device for batch hoppers which may be quickly and easily moved from open to a locked closed position and that the valve device embodies complete and effective means 'for distributing the mixing water so as to make possible a more uniform measuring and proportioning thereof.

It will also be apparent that the invention provides a valve structure tor batch hoppers wherein the valve member may support the weight of the aggregate and still prevent leakage of water from the hopper due to the equalizing action of the valve operating means which serves to eiiectively seat the valve throughout its periphery and to lock the valve member in seated position.

I claim' as iny invention: i

1. A valve for a batch hopper having a discharge opening and comprising a body having a valve seat termed about said opening, a valve member, a supporting lever for said member pivoted adjacent the edge ot said valve seat and having one end pivoted to said member centrally thereof, and operating means for said supporting lever comprising ajtoggle member having one end pivoted and stationarily supported relatively to said body and the other end pivotally connected to said lever, said toggle being adapted when moved to extended position to move said valve lnember to closed position.

2. A valve device for a batch hopper having a discharge opening, said device comprising a body member having a valve seat,` a valve member, a lever pivoted adjacent the valve sea-t and having one end connected to said valve member, and means for swinging said lever to move said valve member to and fromV valve closing position, said means comprising a bracket stationarily supported relative to said body member, a bell crank lever pivoted on said bracket, one arm ot said bell crank forming an operating handle and the other arm forming one link of a toggle, a link completing said toggle having one end pivoted to the toggle arm of said bell crank and its other end pivotally connected to the lever supporting said valve member.

3. The combination With a hopper having a bottom discharge opening, of a'valve member adapted to close said opening and support the weight of the material in the hopper, a movable arm connected to said valve member centrally thereof and supporting the valve, and a toggle operatively associated with said arm and arranged to close said valve when moved to extended position.

4. A valve device for a batch hopper comprising a valve member, means providing a valve seat therefor, and operating means for said valve member comprising a toggle having an operative connection with said valve member centrally thereof to close said valve when moved to extended position, and arranged to maintain said valve in closed posi tion when thrown into an over center position against the weight of the material in the hopper on the valve.

5. A valve device for a batch hopper comprising a valve member, means providing a valve seat for said member, operating means for said valve member comprising a toggle having an operative Connection with said valve member to closeA said valve when moved to its extended position and arranged to permit movement to anover-center position, and a stationary member arranged to be engaged by said toggle member to limit vsuch movement and to maintain said toggle member in said over-center position whereby to maintain said valve member in its closed position against the weight of the material in the hopper on the valve. Y

6. A valve device for a batch hopper comprising a valve member, means providing a valve seat for said member, operating means for said valve member comprisinga toggle having an operative connection` with said valve member to close said valve when moved to its extended position and arranged to permit movement to an over-center position, and means to limit such movement to maintain said toggle at substantially its extended valve closing position against the weight of the material in the hopper on the valve. Y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CHARLES S. JOHNSON. 

